Ball-forming machine



Feb. 11, I930. A. c. MUNRO BALL FORMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 16, 1928 INVENTOR.

av @J Y ATTORNEKS',

Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALEXANDER 0.1!UNBO, F BRITANNIA BEACH, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA BALL-FORMING momma Application Med January 16, 1928. Serial No. 240,997.

This invention relates to improvements in ball forming machines and the main object of the invention is to provide a machine which is adapted to form balls or approximately 6 spherical bodies from bars, rails or other similar stock material, in an eificient and economical manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in such a machine, improved means for 10 severingthe balls from the stock and for .guidingthe material both before and after such severance.

The accompanying dra "ngs illustrate embodiments o my invention and referring 15 thereto:

Fig. 1 is a lon 'tudinal section of the ma chine, partly in e evation.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

so in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the machine.

The machine comprises a pair of rolls 1 and 2, mounted, one above the other, on a frame comprising a base 3 and suitable standards 4, said standards being provided with vertical ways 5 in which are mounted pillow blocks carrying the journal members 6 for the shafts or trunnions 7 of the res ective rolls 1 and 2, provided with suitab e drivin means. Wedge means 8 at the lower end 0 the ways 5 adjustably support the lowermost pillow block 9 and a spacer block 10 is interposed between the upper pillow block 11 for the lower roll and the lower pillow block 12 for 5 the upper roll. The uppermost pillow block 13 is formed on a cap plate 15 which may be secured tothe' top of the standard 4 by suitable means, such as ca. screws 16, such means serving to hold the pillow blocks and spacer block above referred to in proper position.

The rolls 1 and 2 are provid d with circumferential helical grooves 18 similarly pitched and similarly inclined on the two rolls and the shafts 7 of the respective rolls are connected together by the usual gear means 17, 22 and 23 shown 1n Figs. 2 and 4, so as to rotate in unison in the same rotative direction and are so positioned that at each movement the opposing portions of the grooves 18 in the two rolls are in alignment Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 or registration with one another. The said grooves 18 are formed with concave surfaces approximately centered from points on the longitudinal axis 33 of the machine,-such axis being a horizontal line midway between the axes of the two rolls.

I prefer to form the grooves 18 in such a T manner that-in.the initial operating portion of the rolls the said grooves have a certainpitch and in the subsexuently operating portion of the rolls the sai er 'or more inclined pit that the grooves 7 in such subsequently operating portion are spaced somewhat farther apart than'in the initial ortion of the rolls. Furthermore, the peripheral ortions or flanges 20 of the rolls extending tween successive grooves 18 progressively increase in diameter from the initial end 0 the roll to an intermediate point on the roll indicated by the line 0-0 in Fig.

7 1, this line indicating approximately the location of the plane at which the material is severed from the stock and being substantially or a proximately coincident with the portions 0 the rolls at which the chan e in giitlch of the grooves in the rolls takes p ace.

\ e subsequentl operating portions of the rolls are made 0 somewhat smaller diameter; so that the peripheral portions or flanges thereof between the grooves 18 are spaced further apart than they are at the portions of the rows adjacent the plane c-c corresponding to the cutting 011' point. W'th such a construction the said flanges or peri heral portions of the rolls comecloser toget er at the cutting ofi point than at-any other point of the rolls.

A 'de means 21 is provided at each side of the longitudinal axis 3-3 of the machine. each guide means consisting, for example, of a bar havin a lug 25 at each end whereby it is secure to the respective standards 3,

balls to be formed. These guides 21, together ves have a steep- 0% so with the upper and lower rolls 1 and 2, define a passage way through which the work or materia is passed in the operation of the machine, and the spacing blocks 10 aforesaid are provided respectively with passage ways oropenings 26 and 27 in alignment with the said passa e way between the guide members and the r ls, so as to guide the stock to the rolls and deliver the formed balls from the rolls. A delivery chute 28 may be provided on the block at the delivery end of the machine to carry the formed balls away from the delivery passage 27 to any suitable receivin means.

n order to enable the guide members 21 to be brought sufficiently close to the center line or axis 33 of the machine to effectively support the mate a1 during the forming o ation I have found it desirable to taper t e guide means 21 from the initial end of the machine to-the point of cut-off adjacent the plane oc, this tapering being rendered desirable by reason of the progressive enlar ement of the intergroove flanges or perlp eral ortions of the rolls and the resu ting iminishing space between said flanges. Beyond. this point the guide mom bers 21 are made wider as indicated at 21 to provide increased strength and prevent cuttin of the balls, it being understood that from t is point on the work consists of separated balls which must be supported as regards lateral movement wholly by said guides, whereas in the initial portion of the achine the work consists of a non-severed ar or rail which is supported to a large extent b its bearing in the inlet passage 26 and there ore does not exert as strong a pressure on the guiding means as is liable to occur in the case of the severed balls. The above described construction, therefore, provides for maximum strength of the guide means, consistent with the necessary proximity of the guide means to the axis 33 of the machine and to the contracted space between the rolls. Moreover, the increased width of the guide bar at this position of the rolls has an important advantage in preventing scoring of the balls from the point, in a single thread machine, where the ball stock is severed, good widths of guides are absolutely necessary in order not to core the hot balls unduly in the final part of the machine. If

the diameter of the peripheral ribs is not decreased in the finishing zone the balls are badly cut by the narrow width guides. The combination of guides, and increase in pitch, coupled with increase in diameter to the point where the ball is severed, followed by a decrease in diameter to allow wide guides, is therefore essential to successful operation of the machine. I

Theoperation is as follows: The work, consisting, for example, of discarded railway rails or other scrap rail stock, is passed in through opening 26, by hand or otherwise, and bein gripped between the opposing rolls, is a vanced between the rolls by the action of the helical rooves thereof which also operate to gra ually form the work piece into ball segments, which are finally separated into balls adjacent the planecc by the approximation of the intergroove flanges at that portion of the rolls and by the stretchin action due to'the sudden increase of pitc of the rolls adjacent that portion. The twisting action due to the rotation of the rolls also tends to twist off the balls at the stated position.

The halls formed in the manner above described are carried forward between the grooves in opposin rolls and the stationary guide members an the delivery means 27 aforesaid.

are discharged throng My improved ball forming machine may be used in producing balls from any suitable stock material, for example ingot bars or bar stock as well as from compressed scrap rail, the bar stock or other stock material being heated and passed through the machine while still hot. An important advantage of the increased width of the guide or forming grooves in the final portion of the rolls isthat the wide guides or grooves do-not score or cut the balls as is liable to occur in the case of grooves which are of the same width as the grooves .in the initial forming portion of the rolls.

I claim: 1

1. A ball formingmachine comprising a frame, two rolls mounted on said frame to,

rotate on parallel axes, means for driving said rolls in the same rotative direction, and means for guiding a work piece between the rolls, in a direction parallel to the rotative axes of the rolls, said guiding means'comprising guide bars mounted on the frame on either side of the path of the work between the rolls, said rolls having corresponding helical grooves adapted to form and separate the work piece into balls as it passes between the rolls, and peripheral portions of the rolls increasing in diameter from the initial portions of the rolls to a oint intermediate the ends of the rolls, and eing of decreased diameter in the final operating portion of the 4 frame on parallel axes, means for driving said rolls in the same rotative direction, and means for guiding a work piece between the rolls, in a direction arallel to the rotative axes of the rolls, sai guiding means comprising guide bars mounted on the frame on either side of the path of the work between the rolls, said rolls having corresponding helical grooves adapted to form and separate the work piece into balls as it passes between the rolls, the peripheral portions of the rolls increasing in diameter from the initial portions of the rolls to a point intermediate the ends of the rolls, and being of decreased diameter in the final operating portion of the rolls, so as to provide increased space between the rolls at such portion and said guide bars being tapered from the initial ortion of the rolls to a position opposite sai intermediate point and being of increased width 0 posite the finally operating portions of the re ls.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of January ALEXANDER C. MUNRO. 

